Creeping Into My Soul
by Winged Monkey
Summary: Halloween fic. When the guys come across an old house while trick-or-treating, they soon regret not heeding Leonardo's warnings to not go inside. Rated T for scary-ness and mild language.
1. Darkness Rising

_A/N: Happy Halloween, everyone! Don't worry, the next chapter of "Double Helix" should (hopefully) be up sometime tomorrow or Sunday. Anyway, this is my first attempt at horror, so I'm open to any suggestions to make it scarier. Enjoy!_

**Disclaimer: Do not eat too much candy all at once or you'll get sick**

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"Come on! Come on! Let's go on this street next!" Michelangelo waved his pillowcase filled with more wrappers than candy as he bounded forwards.

"Remind me again why we let him have sugar?" Donatello gave his oldest brother a mock-poisoned glare.

Leonardo smiled. "Because if we didn't, he'd never let up on us about it. Besides, we all love Halloween. What's the worst that could happen?"

"Ya mean besides a giant statue thing comin' to life or demons comin' through holes in the sky?"

"Yes, Raph," Leonardo rolled his eyes. "Besides that. I _meant_ what's the worst that would happen because of Mikey on candy."

Raphael smirked. "I know, Leo. You'd think that after two hours 'a trick-or-treatin' that he'd be done."

"By that logic, you'd also think that being a giant turtle would be enough and he wouldn't need to dress up," Donatello added.

"I can _hear_ you, you know!" Michelangelo spun around with as large of a huff as he could make; his Turtle Titan cape continued around after he stopped and wrapped itself around his front. The other three turtles burst out laughing. "Oh hardy-har-har." Mikey glared at them as he pulled the cape around to the front. "Are you guys coming or just gonna stay and joke about my mondo awesome superhero status?" A sly smile stole across his face. "You guys just stay here and I'll do this street twice as me and my alter-ego and get all the candy!"

"No way, dipstick!" Smirking, Raphael shook his bag as he walked forwards. "You're just gonna make yourself sick." His smirk turned into a huge grin. "I'll just have to get all the candy here!"

"You're going to have to catch me first!" With his trademark laugh, Michelangelo did a flip over a short wrought iron gate. Raphael followed close on his heels.

"We should probably make sure they stay out of trouble."

Leonardo agreed as he set his hand on the gate. Suddenly, as if struck, his head snapped towards the house.

"What's wrong?"

The eldest turtle shook his head slowly, tearing his eyes away from the Victorian, trying to shake off the tingling sensation that had just shot down his spine. "Don't know. Just thought I felt…something."

"Well, there was just a cold wind. Maybe you felt that."

"Guess so." Leonardo winced as the gate squeaked horribly on its hinges.

"Come oooooooooon!" Michelangelo stood on the house's porch, making a big show of waiting impatiently as his brothers joined him.

"You could have rung the bell without us, you know."

The youngest turtle's pouty-face turned into a grin. "Already did. It's one of those haunted house deals with everything inside."

"They sure did a great job with the décor." Donatello glanced at the cobwebs dangling from the ancient rafters.

"Agreed. I don't even remember seeing this house before."

"Are you two gonna stand around yakin' 'bout the architecture or can we go in already?"

"Relax, Raph." Leonardo glanced back towards the street, strangely devoid of other trick-or-treaters. "I'm just not sure it's a good idea to go in."

"Chillax, Leo." Michelangelo rolled his eyes as he pushed open the door and put one foot inside. "The voice said to come in. And anyway, it's just your standard haunted house. Shell, all that's missing is some lightning hitting a tower or some bats flying all over."

As if on cue, a squeak sounded from the far end of the porch. All four turtles jumped.

Donatello chuckled as he pinpointed the source. "What were you saying about bats, Mike?" He pointed to the little mammal silhouetted against the orange glow of the night sky.

Michelangelo laughed nervously. "Let's just go get our candy then get out of here. I don't want that bat getting caught in my hair! OW!"

"You don't have hair, motor-mouth. Open the door more already!"

"Well, alright," Leonardo conceded. "But there's still something about this that I don't like."

"We're friggin' _ninja,_ Fearless. I think we can handle a spooky house." As if to prove his point, Raphael stormed past Michelangelo into the house. With an eyeroll, the other turtles followed.

As soon as Michelangelo let go of the door, it slammed shut, the resounding 'bang' echoed down the long entry hall.

"Geez, Mike! Wake the dead, why don'tcha?"

"Sorry," the youngest turtle shrugged with an embarrassed grin. "It slipped."

"Never mind, Mike. Guys, just hurry up and get your candy."

"Take a chill pill, oh brother of mine." Michelangelo walked backwards down the hallway. "We'll get the candy, split this hauntsville, and go get more candy!"

"And then you'll stuff your face, become excessively hyperactive due to the sugar rush, and drive us all insane," Donatello accused with an air of longsuffering.

"Exactly. Ow! Again, Raph?"

Raphael lowered his hand with a smirk as Leonardo rolled his eyes. "I never thought I would say this, but guys, focus on the candy. Are you even sure someone is here? This place is practically dead. No one else has even rung the bell since we've been here."

"Leo," Michelangelo sighed with as much exasperation as he could muster, "the guy said to come in. That means someone's here."

"Did you actually see him?"

"Well…no…"

"Maybe it was a _ghost_!" Donatello grabbed his youngest brother's shoulders from behind.

Michelangelo screamed good-naturedly and scampered, laughing, further down the hall. Suddenly he stopped as the glass sconces on either side of him ignited spontaneously. "I didn't touch anything!"

"Motion sensors?" Leonardo suggested.

Donatello shrugged as he walked towards Michelangelo. His brow furrowed as he examined one of the lights.

"What's up, Don?"

"I'm not sure, Raph. Guys, unless someone figured out how to rig motion sensors to gas lights where it both turned on the gas and ignited them, I think these went on by themselves."

"Oooooooooh!" Michelangelo waved his fingers around. "Maybe this place _is_ haunted."

Raphael elbowed Leonardo as the elder turtle looked back over his shoulder. "What's the matter, Fearless? Scared o' a little light?"

"Did anyone else notice how long this hallway is?" Leonardo ignored his brother's jibe. "It's much longer than it should be."

"And no rooms," Michelangelo added, subconsciously stepping closer to Raphael. "What kind of whacked-out house is all creepy hall and no rooms?"

"You're right…"

"Don't encourage them, Don." Raphael huffed and crossed his arms. "Mike ain't even right. There's a door right there." He pointed to the doorway approximately three feet away.

"Dude," Michelangelo turned to look at the doorway. "I totally didn't even see that."

"Well it's my guess that whoever that creepsville guy was that you heard's gotta be in there 'cause he sure wasn't in here."

"If he's there, then we'll get our candy and go. If he isn't," Leonardo threw Raphael his don't-you-dare-disagree-with-me look "then we're going to leave anyway. This whole place just feels like a trap."

"Fine." For the second time that night, Raphael stormed forwards and yanked the door open, revealing a kitchen. It was neat and orderly—cabinets lined the walls, a small pumpkin sat on the middle of a breakfast table, and it was lit by three tall candles sitting next to the pumpkin. A large bowl of brightly wrapped sweets was on the edge of the table closest to the door.

No one was there.

"Okay, guys, we've found the candy. Let's get it and get out."

"Okay, okay. Hold your horses." The three younger turtles advanced on the bowl as Leonardo stood awkwardly by the door, not noticing as it swung silently shut behind him.

As Michelangelo lifted the first piece of candy from the bowl, all three of the candles flickered and went out, leaving the room in complete darkness. "Not funny, guys!"

"Hey, I didn't do it," Raphael protested.

"There must have been a draft or something," Donatello suggested. "Hold on a sec." He reached into his belt and pulled out the lighter he carried for just such emergencies. "Leo, why don't you push the door open and see if the lights from the hall are still on so I can see the candles?"

Leonardo did not answer. The door did not move.

"Um, Leo?" All of a sudden, the lighter was knocked out of Donatello's hand. "Hey! What was that for?"

"What happened, Don?"

"I don't know. Something just OW!" The ring of shattering china rang out as Donatello clutched the side of his leg. "Guys, stop moving!"

"I haven't moved an inch!"

"Me neith-OW!" Again a crash sounded followed by Michelangelo falling to the floor. "What just hit me? What's going on?"

Raphael practically bent over backwards as a whirring sound flew towards him. There was another crash as more china hit the wall behind them. "Leo! If this is your idea of a joke then I'm gonna kick your ass all the way to Jersey!"

For a moment, the room was filled with silence, broken only by the soft sound of the turtle's breath. Then all hell broke loose. Cabinet doors pounded against each other as they were flung open and all sorts of things flew through the air. In the dark, it was all that the turtles could do to just avoid getting hit, but they were not always successful. The very air vibrated with the resounding bangs of cookware slamming into the floors and walls, infused with the staccato of china shattering, sending needle-like shards flying in all directions.

Finally all of the turtles ducked down and crawled underneath the table. As Donatello placed his hand on the wooden floor, hoping to not impale himself on anything, his heart leapt as he recognized the smooth contour of his lighter under his hand. He flicked it open and instantly everything stopped. The tiny flame seemed like the brightest of beacons in the deafening silence.

Around them, the glow showed the kitchen to be in shambles. Cautiously, the three turtles climbed out from under the table. Donatello re-lit the candles which had somehow miraculously managed to remain untouched in that warzone. He gulped as he saw a long, thin knife that had completely skewered the tiny pumpkin. If that had been just a foot lower…he refused to let himself think of what would have happened.

The candles now lit the kitchen much more completely, revealing themselves to be the only ones there.

"Leonardo Hamato Splinter Junior, you get out here right this second!" Raphael practically screamed as he looked unsuccessfully for his brother.

"Um, guys…" Michelangelo's voice trembled as he pointed towards the door. Leonardo's blue pillowcase lay sprawled on the ground as though thrown down. Next to it, the candy was spread out in a strange pattern.

"What is it, Donnie?"

Donatello stepped gingerly over what used to be a floral china plate and could feel his heart sinking. "It's a message. It says 'you have been warned.'"

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_So, how'd I do? Please let me know as well as any suggestions you have. Flames will be used to keep those candles burning!_


	2. Shadows' Call

_A/N: Wow, I'm so sorry it's been so long. I don't really have a good excuse other than a lack of writing time. Thanks to everyone who reviewed the last chapter, you're all so sweet!_

**Disclaimer: Own? Nope :(**

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"'You've been warned'? What the shell's that supposed to mean?"

"I don't know, Raph, but I don't like it. I greatly doubt that Leo had anything to do with any of this."

"Then where is he?" Michelangelo's eyes darted around the room.

"That's what I'm gonna find out." Raphael stepped carefully over the message and pushed the door open. The hallway was pitch black. Not even the dim light from the front of the house that had previously shone all the way down was now permeating the darkness and the gas lights had obviously been shut off. The meager flicker of the candles in the kitchen barely even made a dent out the door.

"I don't like this, Raphie," the youngest turtle pouted, joining his brothers by the door.

Raphael growled softly, suddenly feeling very responsible for protecting his younger brothers, and returned to the kitchen table. "We're each gonna take a candle. Here." He handed a candle to Donatello. "Pass this to Mike and you'll get the next one."

A moment later, he joined his brothers by the dark opening. The three candles flickered brightly, making the almost tangible blanket of gloom seem to leap back as though burned. "Don, you an' Mike go back to the door an' see if Leo went that way. I'm gonna go the other way an' see if I can find him."

"But Raph—"

"It's that or you're gonna go yourself, Mike." Raphael gave his youngest brother a smirk, made more sinister by the glimmering of the candles.

"I'll call you if we find him," Donatello suggested, pulling out his Shell Cell. "Be careful, Raph."

Raphael grunted in agreement, merely pointing towards the front door. The turtles started forwards, heading their separate ways. Michelangelo chanced to glance over his shoulder back at Raphael just in time to see his dancing silhouette disappear—swallowed by the darkness.

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Leonardo stared around in confusion as he found himself in complete darkness. "Guys? Did you blow out the candles?"

There was no answer; his voice fell flatly upon the utter silence.

"Come on, guys. I know you're annoyed at me for not wanting to come in, but this is a little ridiculous."

All of a sudden, the total emptiness of the room hit him; he could not feel the presences of his brothers. He strained his eyes, trying to force them to adjust to the blackness, frowning as the shadows pressed into him. He could almost feel their tentacles as they wrapped possessively around his body.

"Hello? Guys? Anybody?"

A glow shone from behind him. Leonardo tried to turn around and face it, but found that he could not move; it was as if thousands of chains wrapped around him while simultaneously turning his muscles and bones into lumps of gelatin. As the glow became brighter, he struggled, willing himself to move even an inch, but to no avail.

"Let go! Whatever this is, get it off of me!"

The shadows pressed tightly against his plastron and the top of his head, now plainly corporeal, and began to ooze under his jaw, pressing upwards, forcing his mouth closed. The glow burst around in front of the captive turtle, revealing flames that licked up papered walls, consuming rapidly. Leonardo again willed his body to move and he could feel the strain as he flexed against the shadows. The flames danced towards him, filling the air with their noxious smoke. Their heat blasted against dry, green skin.

Leonardo tried to scream; all that escaped his lips was a whimper.

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Raphael strode into the darkness, holding his candle out in front of him. In the quiet, his breath was raspy in his ears and the soft crackle from the candle was as loud as thunder. It was disconcerting that not even Michelangelo's whining chatter could be heard through the dense shadows.

Out of the corner of his eye, he caught movement. Spinning around to face it, he almost dropped his candle. The flame danced around wildly, catching the shape of the _thing_ that had crept up beside him; its bright red eyes and grotesque shape glared at him while fangs glistened brightly. Startled, Raphael blinked and the monster disappeared, leaving only a reflection of himself in a large gilded mirror.

"I'm gettin' worse than Mikey," he grumbled, annoyed at himself for being so easily frightened. "Leo sure as hell better be in trouble or I'm gonna pound him for this."

A low moan sounded behind him and he again spun around, causing the candle to sputter as it tried to regain hold of the wick. The wall was completely blank other than the pattern of the faded wallpaper. The sound came again, softer this time, but definitely from the wall. Raphael stepped across the hall and leaned forwards, placing his ear-hole against the wall. As he pushed harder, straining to hear, the wall suddenly turned into a door, swinging open under the pressure. Raphael stumbled forwards into the room.

"Ooookay, then. Guess the bozo who lives here don't like doors."

He held up the candle, letting the wavering light spread through what apparently was a living room of sorts. The entire place was crowded with overstuffed couches and chairs interspersed with knickknack-cluttered tables. There was a muffled sob from the far side of the room, just out of the reach of the candlelight. Raphael hurried forwards, revealing Leonardo standing rigidly, his eyes reflecting much more of the light than they should have been. He whimpered and the air around him seemed to shimmer under the sudden intrusion of the candle and the turtle holding it.

"Leo, what the shell do you think you're doing?"

Instead of answering, a look of unadulterated terror spread across the older turtle's face. Raphael could see Leonardo's muscles straining against some unseen force; as his breath hitched, the surrounding air grew thick and viscous, glistening sickly.

"Leo, what's goin' on? You okay?"

Raphael grabbed his brother's shoulder and shook him. Leonardo suddenly jolted, as though coming out of a trance, and fell forwards into his brother's arms. Raphael almost dropped the candle, wincing as hot wax splattered on his hand. Setting the candle down on a nearby end table, he lowered Leonardo's quivering body down onto the wood flooring.

"Come on, bro," Raphael lightly slapped Leonardo's cheeks. The older turtle was barely breathing. "Don't do this to me!" He breathed a sigh of relief as Leonardo inhaled sharply, his eyes focusing and losing the strange glow that had filled them only moments before.

"Fire…fire…"

"Easy, bro. It's okay. You're okay." The panic filling Leonardo, was beginning to freak Raphael out. After all, he well knew the reason that he called his brother 'fearless.'

"We've … got to get out … before the whole … place goes up," Leonardo wheezed, trying to press his arms against the floor to push himself upright.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, Leo. The only fire here's the candle. Take a breather. How'd you get here anyway?"

Confusion flitted across Leonardo's face as he took in his surroundings. "I don't know, but this entire room was on fire just a moment ago."

"Well it ain't an' it don't look like it ever has been. Look, I'm gonna call Donnie and Mike an' tell them I found you."

The older turtle took a deep breath, visibly calmer, and sat up as Raphael pulled out his phone. "Where are they?"

"Probably back out front, by now." The younger turtle frowned as his Shell Cell screen did not light up. "Could've sworn I just charged this damn thing," he growled under his breath.

"Here, use mine." Leonardo reached into his belt, brows furrowing as his hand groped the holder. "It's not here." A precursory glance did reveal the cell phone's presence.

"We'll just go find 'em then." Raphael pushed himself up off the floor and offered his hand to Leonardo. "You up to walkin'?"

"Quite frankly, anything would be better than not being able to move again," Leonardo replied as he accepted his brother's hand up.

"Yeah, what happened to you there?"

The blue-clad turtle shuddered slightly. "It was like Hell, Raph. Flames everywhere and something holding on to me like it was trying to digest me. I don't know if it was a dream or whatever, but it was utter Hell."

Raphael huffed slightly as he picked up the candle. "Don'll probably have some huge explanation for ya when we find him."

"Probably," Leonardo agreed, trying to completely shake the dread he had felt only minutes before.

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_So there you have it. Don't worry, Mikey and Don get the next chapter. Please review! Flames will be used to freak Leo out._


	3. Creeping from Within

_A/N: BWAHAHAHA!! I LIIIIVE! Finals did not manage to kill me!_

**Disclaimer: Own something? I wish**

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"Donnie," Michelangelo whined, "we've been walking forever! How much farther is it?"

"We've only been walking for about five minutes." Donatello rolled his eyes. "That hardly classifies as forever."

"It _feels_ like forever," Michelangelo grumbled.

"Well, it does seem abnormally long," Donatello conceded. "I don't recall it being this long on the trip in. We probably just went the wrong direction and Raph went towards the door." The older turtle didn't bother to include that he was certain that they had gone the right way. He stopped suddenly, causing Michelangelo to run into him.

"Ow, Don! Give a turtle some warning next time!"

"Sorry. Look!" Donatello gestured forwards at the spiral staircase that sprouted up in front of them, its wrought iron railings caught the candlelight and shimmered like an enormous spider web.

"Great. A spooky staircase for a spooky house."

"It's not that bad, Mike. It's just dark, that's all. We both know that there's no reason to be afraid of the dark."

All of a sudden, a soft melody drifted down the stairwell, making both of the turtles jump.

"Is that spooky enough for you, Don?"

"That was a little girl's voice, Mikey. Don't tell me you're scared of a little girl."

Michelangelo stuck his tongue out.

"Maybe if we find her, we can find out what's going on."

"And maybe that was a zombie that's using a siren call to lure us to it so that it can suck out our brains and spleens!"

Donatello rolled his eyes as he started to climb up the stairs. "You watch _way_ too many horror movies. Now come on or I'm going to leave you here all alone."

With a soft 'meep,' the youngest turtle quickly started to climb up behind his brother. Once they were halfway up, the voice sounded again, the words to its haunting song now clearly audible.

_Ladybird, Ladybird, fly away home.  
Your house is on fire, your children all gone.  
All but one, and her name is Ann  
And she crept under the pudding pan._

Unconsciously, both turtles stopped mid-step, now both very aware of the darkness that was creeping up below them as the tune danced right through the very core of their being. The voice hardly seemed to belong to an earthly being. Shadows danced wildly as the candle flickered in Michelangelo's shaking hand.

"Told you it's a zombie," he muttered, his voice falling harshly on the sudden quiet broken only by the ninjas' silent breathing.

"A-at least it's lighter up at the top." Donatello mentally winced at the nervousness that had managed to seep into his voice.

As Michelangelo looked up, he was surprised to find that his brother was right. Somehow, he had not noticed the insipid shaft of light that shimmered off the metal surrounding the top step.

All at once, they both began to bound up the steps and were quickly at the top. The stairwell opened into a large room, surrounded on all sides by stained-glass windows. The orange glow of light pollution deadened the once-vibrant colors, washing the sparse room with tepid splendor.

Michelangelo stepped towards one of the windows, pressing his forehead against the cool glass. The street below them was devoid of life. As Donatello started to look out another window, a soft creaking cracked with the force of thunder through the silence.

"Don't look at me!" Michelangelo threw his hands up, his eyes wide. "I didn't touch anything!"

"There," Donatello pointed. A lone rocking chair at the far side of the room, half hidden between shafts of light drifting through the windows on either side of it, was moving slowly. Its back was to the turtles, blocking its occupants from sight. The child's voice again began to sing the same song that they had heard while on the stairs.

Gulping to try to move the lump fast forming in his throat, Donatello crept as softly as he could towards the chair while Michelangelo remained rooted to the spot. Just as the turtle had almost reached it, the song finished and a head popped up over the back of rocking chair.

"That's my fav'rite song in the whole wide world. What's yours?" Bright blue eyes stared unafraid at the two creatures standing in front of her. Golden curls fell in a tangled mess from under a light-blue bonnet.

Michelangelo and Donatello exchanged a quick glance. "Um, I like the Roches, I guess, but I don't really have a favorite song. ."

"Oh, that's too bad!" The little girl pouted as she jumped over the edge of the chair, her blue pinafore billowing outwards. She looked to be about four years old. With a stuffed cat in hand, she stood there for a moment, staring thoughtfully at the two turtles. After a brief moment, the pout turned into a smile. "You come to play with me?"

The two turtles again exchanged a glance and Michelangelo walked forwards. After handing his candle to Donatello, he bent down on one knee before the child. "We're looking for our brother. Have you seen him?"

"Brothers all gone, sisters all gone. No one wants to play with me." Her lip quivered slightly.

"Are your parents home?" Donatello asked.

"No, no. All gone 'cept bu'ler an' he never lets me have fun." Suddenly, her face brightened and she shoved the cat-doll into Michelangelo's hands. "You play with me."

"Sorry, little dudette," Michelangelo gently pressed the doll back into her hands. "We really don't have time right now."

"But I wanna!" She crossed her arms protectively over the doll. "You're no fun!" With a small huff, she stuck her tongue out at the turtles and ran back around to the front of her rocking chair.

Michelangelo threw Donatello a helpless look as he stood back up. "Now what?"

"Well, Leo's obviously not here and it looks like there's only one way out of this room."

The younger turtle grimaced. "Back down _there?_"

"I'm afraid so. Here," Donatello handed back the candle.

Michelangelo licked his lips nervously as he took it; the flames cast wild shadows across the rocking chair. A loud crack shot through the room and the air tingled as though suddenly charged with electricity. Both turtles jumped.

After a moment of almost complete silence, Donatello let out a tense chuckle. "Lightning? You did say that is what this house was missing."

"Yeah," Michelangelo replied, his voice barely over a hoarse whisper. "Little dudette, um, how do we get outa this freaky house of yours?" He turned so that he could see the little girl and his body went rigid. As his eyes grew wider, his hand shook violently, sending wax flying from the candle. His mouth moved, but no sound came out.

"Mike, what's wrong?" Receiving no answer, Donatello moved so that he could see what his brother was staring at. "Oh my god…"

Instead of the vibrant child that had begged them to play only moments before, a charred corpse sat in the chair.

The chair behind the corpse began to smoke and blacken as though a fire was creeping along the wood. Suddenly, the corpse's head moved and two bright blue eyes burst open through scorched eyelids. Michelangelo screamed and both turtles forgot the fear that had sent them out of the darkness as they dashed towards the stairs.

Glancing over his shoulder for a brief second, Donatello could see flames shooting up out of the wooden chair, quickly spreading out into the room.

"Noooooooo faaaaaiiiir! I waaaanaaa plaaaaaay!" the child's voice cried from behind them. "No leaving me!"

Michelangelo and Donatello plunged into the thick darkness, their candles barely made a dent as the flames flickered uncontrollably. Donatello could not even see Michelangelo's silhouette ahead of him. All of a sudden, to his dismay, the older turtle's foot met with empty space instead of the metal step and he fell forwards into his brother.

Yelling, they fell into the darkness.

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_Scarry? Please let me know!_


	4. Fade Away Into the Night

_A/N: (sneaks in) Um...hi again. Please don't hit me for being away so long. I'm not going to go into everything that's been keeping me away from writing, because if I did it would be as long as this chapter. Speaking of which, to apologize for the delay, this chapter is longer than the previous chapters. For those of you who are also reading Double Helix, please don't worry, I haven't dropped it, Raphael and Master Splinter are just giving me a bit of trouble._

**Disclaimer: The only thing I get anything for has no relation to this story**

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Darkness had never been something that either Leonardo or Raphael had feared. It was, after all, the realm of the ninja, practically their home. Even from when they were very young, they had known that it was the presence of light that would do them more harm than whatever went bump in the night. Not even Michelangelo's overactive imagination had managed to convince either of the oldest brothers that the shadows held any more than cockroaches and the occasional sewer rat. Even as they grew older and the shadows threatened with swords and death, the shadows did not place dread into their hearts. Darkness was not something to fear.

However, in the endless hallway, devoid of doors or windows, the flickering of Raphael's candle was a welcome relief from the suffocation of the surrounding darkness. Ever since leaving the room in which he had found his older brother, the back of his neck tingled as though something was watching them, like a cat stalking a mouse moments before pouncing. It was undeniable that Leonardo felt it too.

"What's that?" Leonardo broke through his brother's ruminations.

Raphael looked towards where he was pointing. Something glistened in the candlelight. After a moment of walking, they reached the end of the hallway. The candle's glow fell across a doorknob.

"Finally!" Leonardo grabbed the knob and pulled open the door. Light spewed in from the street, but neither Donatello nor Michelangelo were there waiting. He stopped in the doorway for a moment.

To Raphael, his brother was a silhouette; the candlelight did not even reach him. As he was about to make some smart-ass remark to get Leonardo to move, his eyes widened. Tendrils of darkness were reaching up from behind the older turtle, beginning to encircle his legs, though he seemed oblivious to it.

"Look out!" Raphael pushed his brother through the opening just as something grabbed onto him and pulled him back. The door slammed shut between the turtles.

"Raph! Raph!!" Leonardo jumped up from where he had fallen and pounded on the door.

No matter how he pounded, no matter how he yanked and pushed the doorknob, the thick oak door would not budge. With a grunt of frustration, Leonardo attempted to body-slam the door. His shoulder collided with the wood and was immediately met with tingling akin to sharp needles running throughout his arm. The turtle's jaw set as he rubbed his shoulder.

A soft ring drifted across the porch as he unsheathed his katana.

* * *

Raphael fell backwards into the darkness, dropping his candle. Darkness crashed around him as hot wax splattered across the tattered carpeting. The acrid stench of smoke assaulted his nose. After the momentary illumination from the street, the darkness seemed to be even stronger.

The turtle rolled up onto the balls of his feet, crouching, listening. One hand rested on the handle of his sai. Something or someone had pulled him backwards and there was no way that he would let them sneak up on him again. His ears strained, but there was not even the trace of an echo, not a breath of air, only the pounding of his own heart. Suddenly, a loud banging shot through the airwaves. Raphael almost jumped out of his shell.

"Raph! Raph!"

"Leo?" The red-clad turtle stood up and reached towards the door. An enormous force collided with his stomach, sending him flying backwards, gasping for breath.

"You shall not leave."

Raphael drew both sai and stumbled upright, his eyes darting around, trying to find some shape in the darkness.

"You shall not leave," the sonorous voice repeated.

"Where the hell are you?" Raphael swung his right arm, but did not strike anything.

"Once you have entered this accursed place, you must stay."

"Like hell I will." Raphael tried to grab the doorknob, but the enormous force again slammed into him, grabbing him by the neck, and his shell crashed into the wall. The pressure on his neck tightened and the turtle made a gurgling sound. He couldn't breathe. Desperately, he swung his sai out in front of him, but was met with no resistance. The force pushed upwards, lifting him from the ground. One hand dropped its weapon and groped at his throat, but could not grab onto whatever it was that was quickly starting to suffocate him.

The sounds Leonardo had been making at the door slowly began to fade away.

* * *

Donatello and Michelangelo untangled themselves from the heap that they had made at the bottom of the staircase. Both of their candles had gone out during the fall, but the stairwell was by no means dark.

"You okay, Mikey?"

"Do me a favor, Don, and when you decide to take the fastest way down the stairs, don't include me." The youngest turtle grimaced and looked upwards as the light began to increase.

Flames were starting to lick across the ceiling and down the side of the wall. Footsteps fell upon the stair. Michelangelo whimpered slightly. "Donnie, I don't like this."

"Quick, this way!" Donatello grabbed his brother's arm and they both began to run down the hall, towards the darkness.

Flames flitted along the walls, only feet behind them, lighting the way. In the orange-red glow, the hallway was very clear. Suddenly the path in front of them was covered by a wall and an opening appeared in what was once a solid wall. The turtles skidded to a halt, barely avoiding crashing into the new wall.

"Don! The walls just changed!"

"I know!" Donatello panted as they darted into the new opening. More hallway spread out in front of them, twisting in the distance. _This must be why the halls are so long—the walls move and we're sent in circles!_

"YAAAAAY!" The little girl's voice called out from behind them. "Play! Play tag!" She giggled.

The two turtles continued to run. Donatello's eyes widened as he saw the hallway change directions in front of them. "Mikey, I have an idea."

"If it means getting out of this creep-a-zoid house, then I'm all ears."

"When I tell you, we've got to try to open a section of wall that's closed. Got it?"

"Yeah."

"Here." Donatello stopped abruptly and Michelangelo almost crashed into him.

Both turtles pushed on the section of wall that Donatello had indicated. To their delight, it budged slightly. "Come on! Push!"

The flames drew even closer. "It's no fun if you don't play…" the little girl's voice whined.

"Donnie!"

"I know, I know," the older turtle grunted. "Keep pushing."

Then, much to their relief, the wall opened enough so that they could squeeze through. The hallway beyond was completely dark.

"Go!" Donatello pushed his little brother through, following closely behind him. The wall slammed closed behind them. The two turtles stood for a moment with their hands on their knees, panting.

"Now what? I can't see anything," Michelangelo complained as he regained his breath.

"Keep your right hand on the wall and walk straight. If the hall turns, we've got to try to make it open. This house can't be all that big. We've got to come to an outside wall at some point."

They walked in silence for what seemed like an eternity, not encountering any more of the moving walls. The darkness around them was intense, blocking all light and, apparently, all sound. However, it could not void the smoke that began to swirl up along the ceiling, slowly drifting down towards them. Both turtles began to cough as it entered their lungs.

"I'm gonna find you," the little girl's voice sang out from somewhere on the other side of the wall. "Bu'ler showed me all the good hiding spots."

"She thinks we're playing with her?" Michelangelo said incredulously.

"I'm sorry, but we aren't playing!" Donatello called out. "We need to go home."

"NOOOO! PLAAAAAAY!" The house grumbled and shook as though it was throwing a tantrum. Particles tumbled from the ceiling. "You stay with me forever!"

Flames burst up the walls on either side of the turtles and they both fled. "Nice, Don, real nice."

"How was I supposed to know that would happen?"

* * *

Raphael continued to try to grab the intangible hand that was wrapped tightly around his throat. "Damn…you…"

"You vandals have desecrated this home for the last time!" The grip tightened even more.

Raphael saw stars before his eyes and fell limp just as light flooded into the area.

"RAPHAEL!!" Leonardo's eyes opened wide as his brother dangled unconsciously in the grasp of a shadow in the shape of a man. "Let go of him, you demon!"

He leaped over the fallen door and sliced at the shadow, but his blade merely passed through and the shadow's body regained its shape, swirling like smoke. The shadow's other arm shot out into Leonardo. The turtle blocked it with his blades, but the shadow merely split as it hit the edges and slammed into his shoulders. He was thrown backwards and pinned against the wall opposite of his brother as his katana clattered helplessly on the ground. Spots danced before his eyes. The pressure against his shoulders was intense.

"Let go of my brother!"

"I will not." The pressure pinning the oldest turtle became even stronger. "Year after year, I have protected this household and I do not plan on stopping now."

"But he's going to die!"

"That is the point." Leonardo was pushed along the wall, farther away from Raphael and the light of the doorway, barely noticing the heat starting to emanate from behind his shell.

"What the shell…did we…do to you?"

"Thankfully nothing yet."

"We didn't do anything! You're the one who attacked us!"

The pressure was suddenly released from Leonardo's shoulders and he fell forwards. Seconds later, Raphael landed in front of him. The older turtle was relieved to hear his brother's breath, though it came in ragged gasps. He looked up. Against the dim light streaming from the broken door, the shadow-man appeared to be even more menacing as it walked towards them.

"Ever since this house burned one hundred years ago, people have tried to vandalize it or tear it down. It has taken all of my power to stop all of you."

"Wait, it burned? It looks completely normal."

"Every All Hallows Eve, we are returned to our former state, though just for the evening. The rest of the year, we are a burned out husk. This has caused countless of you to do damage to our house. I failed to protect it and Miss Ann all those years ago, but I have sworn to protect it with my very soul!"

Leonardo's eyes opened wide as he saw one of his katana glistening in the shadow's hand.

_

* * *

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Please review! I'll do my best to get the next chapter-which should be the last chapter-up faster.


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